Electric heating device



Feb. 21, 1928.

w. w. HICKS ELECTRIC HEATING 'DEVICE Filed Jan.5. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmww ATTORNEYS.

Fel. 21, 192s. i 1,659,774

W. W. HICKS ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE Fim Jam. 1925 s sheets-sheet 2 INI/EN ToR.

/fam Weg/ey f//ck BY zo@ O2 j w ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 21, 192s. 1,659,774

W. W. HICKS Y ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE Filed Jan.5. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 8 PatentedF eb. 1928.

WESLEY HICKS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAIiIJiORIbl'IA..r

ELECTRIC HEATING DEVICE.

Application mea january 5, 19'25. serial no. sie.

This invention relates to a heater operated by electricity, and more particularly to sa hot plate adapted to be used for cooking. In such hot plates, it has been customary` in the past to use a refractory support, or disc-like form, in which there are grooves serving to support the heating elements. Such an arrangement is somewhat objectionable,-or an appreciable time is required for the refractory material to heat up to the desired temperature, when the elements are energized. In other words, the refractory support has a considerable heat capacity, and therefore a substantial heat lag results, from the time the circuit `for the heating elements is completed. yIt is one ot' the objects of my invention to reduce this heat lag in such devices, whereby the hot plate is raised to its normal operating temperature in a much smaller period than has been possible heretofore.

Metal hot plates have also been used .to some extent, but in, all such metal plates, so far as I am aware, a considerable amount of metal is used, and the heat lag is not matei rially lessened. In the presentinstance, I

overcome this disadvantage by forming the hot plate of thin metal, and I place the electrical heating element as close to the metal as possible, so as to be in as goodI heat conducting relation as possible. This elect is enhanced by forming the metal hot plate :trein corrugated material, in which the grooves formed by the corrugations accommodate the heating element. v

The provision of the grooves is not necessarily confined to the under side of the hot plate, where they serve as guides for the heating element. Preferably the upper or cooking surface is also corrugated.` v This is highly important, for the reason that the greater the area of the hot plate which 1s used' for cooking, the more quickly may heat be conducted away from the hotplate to any object to which heat is to be imparted.

llt is still another object of my invention to improve in general hot plates of the character described.

It is still another object or my invention to make it possible to manuiacture such hot plates at comparatively small cost.

lit is still another object of my invention to rovide a hot plate in which a heating surace of comparatively large extent is provided by the aid ot corrugations or grooves, said corrugations or grooves having rough- -ened ysurfaces to enhance this effect.

My invention possesses other advantageous teatures, some of which with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the followin description, Where l shall outline in full, t ose forms of my invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. Although I have shown in the present instance only a few embodiments of my invention, I do not desire to be limited thereto, since the invention as defined' in the claims may be 'embodied in other forms also. f f

YReferring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of one embodiinent of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view,

taken along plane 2f2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the insulating saddles used in connection with the modiication shown in Figs. l and 2;

Fig. e is a side view, partly in section, of ai-inodiied form of my invention; l I

Fi 5 is a bottom plan view, partly in section of still another form of my inven- Fig. d is a sectional view of a still further modiiication of my invention;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view of the modication shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of a still. further mod ication.

rIhe modiication illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3 includes a metallic top plate l1, which is corrugated so as to form grooves or guides 12 for the heating elements 13 and le, and to form corresponding grooves 15 in the upper surface of the plate l1. In the present instance, the grooves 12 are all parallel, and have converging Walls 16, as well as plane top surfaces 48 upon which a cooking vessel may rest.

One of the important features of my invention resides in the act that the heating elements 13 and 14 lie as closely to the top surface of the plate 11 as possible. inthe present instance, these elements, being disposed in the grooves 12, are separated only yies helicalcoiled wires, over which insulating beads`18'of refractory-.material are threaded. ThisV type vof heating element is disclosed and claimed in a co-pending applica-- tion, tiled in my name on October 11; 1924, entitled Electrical heating element and having Serial No. 743,061. The beads V18 serve eiiciently to insulateV the elements from the metallic wall 16 of the -plate 11.l In order to.hold the elements 13 and 144 in place' in the groove 12, a retaining plate y ae 19 vis used, having a depending flange 20 arrangedto be appropriately fastened to the cover member 21. This cover member also has 'a fianfge 22 cooperating with a flange 23 formed on plate 1l, for holding the plate 11 in place. The' electrical connect-ions' to.

thev two heating elements 13 and 14 are (provided by the aid of a plurality 'of bin 111g posts 24, which are supported upon,lbut insulated from, the bottom of the cover 21. The leads 25 from theterminals of 'the heating elements 13 and 14 pass through insulating bushings V26 disposed in the retaining plate 19. 4

As thus the metallic arts which must be heated by the -heating e ements 13 and 14, have a com- -paratively'lsmall heat lag and therefore only a short'period of time is required to bring the plate to operating temperature.

` effect is enhanced by the fact that a complate 11, the connections 2,7 and 28l servingv ma plurality of elements 13 and in preference to a single one, so asto perparatively small .amount of metal is used in the hot plate. Another important feature is the fact that the heating surface is in-v creased by the aid of the grooves 1,5. A

quick transfer of heat is therefore possible fromA this externall'surface to any cooking lutensil or the like which Vmay be disposed on. the hot plate'll. The metallic material from which the plate 11 may bel made can 'be chosen to comply-with the necessary requireinents.` Sheet aluminum is perhaps as readil' usable as any other material; al-

thoug of course' iron, steel, or other alloys also be used if desired.

14 is used mit variations in the connectionelof these elements, and thereby to vary the amount of heat generated by the vheating elements.

i The heating elements 13 and 14 -havecoiled Y portions connected -by the straight wire con-V nections, such as 27 and 28. The ,coiled portions of each of the '.two heating elements are disposed in alternate-grooves l12- of the to'bridge the circuit yfor each element from groove to-groove. 'The connectlons 27 and 28 must of course pass around the `ends of the wallsI 16 formmg `the groovesf12.v In

VAorder ito kee these connectionsinsulated from the wa I provide an insulatin saddle 29,fshown1in4 greater detail 1n 1g. 3.

lrThis saddle maybe made of anyl approprifar described, a is evident that This , the perip Lasarte ate insulatin material, and is provided with a pair o grooves 30, serving as guides for the connections 27 'and 28. Furthermore, the heating elements 13 and 14 may be readilyreplaced, by lifting up the plate 11 after it disconnected from the cover member 21. The'use of the beads 18 for provid;

ing the insulation over the coils of the heat- 45s ows a hot plate 31 made up yof a Series of overlapping grooved members 32. Each of these grooved members 32 has a flat top surface, and a pair of depending ,legs 33 forming the walls of the grooves. Extending from one ofthe legs is the horizontal extension l34, adapted lto be placed underneath the adjacent leg 33 of the-.Succeeding member 32. -The heatingelements 35 arespaced in the grooves formed by the legs 33, and are held in place as before, by the aid of a retaining member.36.

In .the construction disclosedin Fig. 4,

comparatively small strips of sheet metal rthermore comparatively inexpensive.,y i It isnot essential to have the heatlng elements-disposed in-parallel grooves. Another- 'maybe used for the stamping to make the arts 32. The dies for so stamping them are Wa-y inwhich the elements may be arranged is disclosed in Fig. 5. In this instance, a seriesof annular grooves 37 is provlded, lo-

cated on the bottom surface of the -hot plate.

38.\ In order to permit ,the heating elements 39 and 40 to pass from one groove to another, I provide a passageway 41, which intersects all. of the grooves 37 and which is wide enough to permit the. heating elements 39 and 40 to pass slantwise between the grooves. Such circular grooves are much easier to produce than. the usual form of spiralgrooves, which are quite commonly provided in'hotplates. v

v The form of the walls and of the grooves in which the heating elements are accommodated may be varied from those "already'Vv shown. For example, in' Figs. 6 and'7 disclose a curved form of oove, which may be more readily. stampe from thin sheet metal to form corrugations 42 in hot'plate 43, The rooves snugly engage a portion of cry ofv the heating elements 44.

Another variation illustrated in this embodie .ment is represented by the Arevision of the series of apertures45 in t e .crests of the lcorrugations. These apertures ermita diret radiation of heat from the eating eleand these crrugations may be appropriately formed simultaneously with Ithe main corrugations.

By the aid of my invention the manufacture of an eiicient and durable hot plate is rendered extremely inexpensive. The coils of wire which make u the heating element may be of any standar form, and when covered with the insulating beads, they may be readily and quicklyninserted into the grooves provided for them in the hot plate.

I claim: j"

1. In an electricalheating device, a metallic platev having walls forming a yseries of 1grooves arranged side by'side, a pair of eatin elements arran ed to be l passed throug the rooves, the e ements alternatin therein, sait? elements being provided wit connections from one groove to another, said connections passing around the endsof the walls forming the grooves, and means for insulating the connections from each other and from the walls, comprisin grooved insulating saddles, each joining al'acent walls.

2. In an electrical heating device, a metallic plate formed of a series of overla ping grooved members, said members eing formed of thin material and each including a portion extending under the wall of the adJacent groove.

3. In an electrical heatin device, a plurality of sheet metal mem ers, means for retaining said members in overlappin relationship, each member bein bent w ereby the assembly forms a plurality of elongated grooves, and insulated electrical resistance conductors associated with said members, the insulation of said conductors occupying certain of said grooves, said overlapping relationship permitting expansion of said members in a direction lateral to said grooves.

4. In an electrical heating device, a plurality of sheet metal members, means for retainin said members in overlapping relationshlp, each member being bent w ereby the assembly forms a plurality of elongated grooves, and insulate electrical resistance conductors disposed in the ooves provided by said members, said over apping relationship ermitting expansion of said members in a direction lateral to said grooves.

5. In an electrical heating device, a plurality of elongated metal members, means -for retaining said members in overlapping relationship whereby a relatively iat outer face is formed for contact with a medium to be heated, and electrical heating means disposed i-n close heat transferring relationship with the inner face formed by said members.

6. In an electrical heating device, av plurality of non-planar metal members, means for retaining said members in overlap ing relationshi whereby outer and inner aces are formedp by the assembled members, and

electrical heatin means in close heat transerring relations ip with the inner indented ace.

7 In an electrical heating device, a plurality of elongated non-planar metal members, means for retaining said members in close side by side relationship whereby grooved outer and inner faces are formed by the assembled members, and insulated resistance conductors disposed adjacent the inner face, the insulation of said' conductors occupying the spacesformed by the grooves upon the inner face.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM WESLEY HICKS. 

